A Disgrace Redeemed
by Tweetyiscool
Summary: Snape has always seen his daughter as a disgrace. So, what happens when he presents her to Voldemort?Edited for typos as of April 8, 04.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: I've had this idea in mind for quite a while and have been kicking it around, attempting to expand on it. However, tonight it arose from the depths of my mind and forced me to let it out. So, that's what I'm doing. I don't quite know where this will go, or if it'll even go any farther than this, but I'm open to suggestions for events to happen before or after this (Jackie, that's your area of expertise).  
I hope you enjoy and please review (I beg you! I've recently discovered that getting no reviews leads to me being rather deterred from writing, no matter how badly I want to).  
As per usual, I own nothing from the Harry Potter world, and would only consider myself to own those characters that you don't recognize, meaning Selina and Eric.  
And again, as per usual, those of you already acquainted with Selina and/or Eric, this story bears no relation what so ever to the others. In fact, I think you'll find this is rather a different twist on the norm.

**A Disgrace Redeemed **

Selina Snape had always been kind hearted. She was never mean or judgmental towards her peers and never got into trouble. She was always kind and caring towards all that would let her; she didn't fit the Slytherin profile at all.  
That being said, many wondered why she had been placed in the Slytherin house. It was true her father, Severus Snape, had been a resident in his years but that seemed very little reason for Selina to have been placed there.  
As a result, may of the Slytherins despised and taunted her to no end. It was their favorite past time when they had nothing else to do. They could taunt her while she was off with members of the other houses, or simply when she was in the Slytherin common room or dormitory.

Severus had always seen his daughter as a disgrace to him. When it came to his actions towards Selina, he was much the same way as the Slytherin students. He neglected her, but would take any chance he got to inform her that she displeased him and that he wished she'd be more like the other Slytherins.

Selina had learned to hold her tongue and simply take the taunting. She had learned the hard way that trying to stop it only made it worse, especially when it came to her father.  
She had never much spoken of how her father acted towards her, thinking that if she told someone too much, a harsh punishment would follow.

That being said, Selina was both shocked and fearful when a servant came to her and informed her that her father asked to see her one mid summer's evening.

Her father never asked to see her.  
What had she done? Or had he snapped and felt like taking his anger out on her?  
She thought over the possibilities as she made her way to the den.

"You wished to see me, father?" She asked rather softly, trying to hide the slight quiver in her voice.  
Severus' head snapped up.  
"Speak up, girl, if you expect to be heard!" He snapped.  
Selina winced.  
"I…I said you wished to see me, father?" She said a little louder, her voice still quivering.  
"Of course I did, I would not have called you to me if I did not!" Severus replied sharply.

The room was silent for a few moments, and then Selina spoke again.  
"Well?" She asked.  
"Well what?" Severus demanded.  
"What did you wish to see me about?" Selina replied.

Severus rose from his seat and walked to Selina, striking her across the face.  
Selina winced again, but said nothing.

"Patience is a virtue. It's time you learned that." Severus said.  
"I'm very sorry, father." Selina replied.  
"I don't want to hear it!" Severus snapped.

The room went silent again, until the clock struck ten.

"It is time. Follow me. The dark lord wishes to meet you, though I do not know why. He never approved of your mother, and you're turning out to be more of a disgrace than she was. Perhaps he wishes to kill you as he did her." Severus said, heading towards the front door.

Selina felt a tear on its way, but forced it back. The mention of her mother had been unbearable.  
Her father had always told her that the dark lord had killed her mother shortly after Selina had been born. The reason? Selina had been a girl.

It was expected of the wives to give birth to boys, and anything else was seen as disgraceful.

Selina followed her father for a short distance, then he stopped and blindfolded her, telling her that she could not know where they were going from there.

As the blindfold made it increasingly difficult for Selina to walk, Severus was forced, rather reluctantly, to pick her up and carry her the rest of the way, giving Selina even less of an idea of where they were going.

Eventually, Selina found herself being placed on the ground again, and the blindfold was removed.  
She looked around and found that she was in a rather large room, a few unrecognizable people standing up against the walls.

"I have brought her, my lord." Severus said to a man standing a short distance in front of them.  
"Well, what are you waiting for? Go say hello." He added to Selina, giving her a rough shove forwards.

The shove was so hard that Selina found herself falling to the ground face forward. She put her arms out to catch herself, and landed rather roughly on her wrists.

A sudden unbearable pain took over her right wrist, and she struggled not to cry out.  
She forced herself up onto her knees and gripped her wrist, realizing it had probably broken.

"Selina, I told you to say hello." Severus ordered from behind her.  
"H…hello." Selina said, pretty sure about whom she was talking to.

"So, this is the disgrace you continue to talk about, is it Severus?" Voldemort said from in front of Selina.  
"It is, sir." Severus replied.  
"Well, I can certainly see why you'd think so. She is weak. Not only physically but mentally as well." Voldemort said.

It was his calm tone that was scaring Selina more than anything else.  
"I assure you I am not weak minded." She said.

"Rebellious too, I see." Voldemort commented.  
"When she chooses to be." Severus replied, glaring at his daughter.  
"You may step back now, Severus. I wish to speak to her alone a while." Voldemort said after a few moments of silence.  
Severus nodded and backed towards a wall, joining the others.

"How old are you, girl?" Voldemort asked.  
"I just turned eighteen." Selina replied.  
"Ahh, yes. I remember you. I just happened to witness your birth. I must say, your father was greatly displeased that you were not a boy." Voldemort said, not circling Selina.  
"As I am told." Selina replied.  
"It was only very shortly after your birth that I myself killed your mother, the disgrace that she was." Voldemort continued.

Selina had had enough of this kind of talk about her mother.  
"My mother was no disgrace! All she did was have me instead of a boy! I don't see how _anyone_ could see that as a reason to see someone as a disgrace. I'm sure she could have had a boy if she got pregnant again." She snapped.

Voldemort's eyes flashed.  
"Your mother was more of a disgrace than you'll ever know! Crucio!"

Selina fell to the ground again, screaming in pain.  
She didn't notice a new person enter the room and stand off to the side, away from the rest of the group.

"Perhaps that will teach you to hold your tongue!" Voldemort said when he finally ended the spell.  
Selina merely lay there, breathing heavily.

Voldemort watched her as she lay there, shaking his head.  
"Weak." He said.  
"I have no use for a weakling like her, but at the same time I am in no mood to kill her without reason." He looked up at the people around the room.  
"Have fun." He finished, heading towards the exit of the room.

The people that had been standing against the walls approached Selina, surrounded her, and began to beat her. All but the one that had entered while Selina was under crucio that is.

Selina could do nothing to resist, thus just lay there and cried out in pain.

Selina was already on the verge of loosing consciousness, as Voldemort was about to leave the room.

It was then that the newcomer stepped forward.

"Father!" He said, loudly so as to be heard over Selina.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the speaker, shocked looks upon their faces.

"Eric!" Voldemort stopped and spun around.  
"What have I told you about speaking out of turn? In front of my followers none the less."  
"I'm sorry, father. Punish me as you will, but I don't feel this is right." The newcomer, Eric, said.  
"I'll let you get away without punishment this time if you tell me why I should spare her and never anyone else? You've never complained in the past about what I've had done to people." Voldemort said.  
"She's Severus' daughter, and though she may be seen as a weakling and a disgrace, I think you should give her a chance to redeem herself. She could become a great asset to you." Eric commented.  
"And me." He added quietly.

Voldemort looked rather shocked, having heard the last bit.  
"A great asset to you?" He asked.  
"Eric, are you saying you wish this girl to be the one you marry?"  
"I know you feel the same as Severus about her, but I think she's perfect as she is. I'm sure we could make her stronger if that would please you." Eric said.

He knew his father would not approve of his feelings towards Selina, but he'd had them for quite some time and thought he should act on them before it was too late.

Voldemort was silent for nearly ten minutes.

"Very well." He finally agreed.  
"You may have her, heal her, and marry her. However, you know quite well how it works with pregnancies. She must have a boy or suffer the same consequences as her mother did. I won't have you complaining about it if that ends up being the case." Voldemort stated.  
"I assure you I will do everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen, but won't complain if it does." Eric replied.  
"Very well." Voldemort said with a mild sigh of frustration.

Despite his evil nature, there were times when he could deny his son nothing.  
He turned to his followers and nodded at them.

They immediately backed away from Selina and went back to standing by the walls.

"Go fetch your prize." Voldemort said to Eric.

Eric went over to Selina, who had fallen unconscious at this point. He gently picked her up and carried her away.

Another Author's note: All right, well, that one went a little farther than I'd planned. Looks like there will be more. Once again, I find myself typing away and thinking up more and more as I go along. Thus, now I have more planned, but now seems like a decent place to end.  
Originally I just had the scene where Selina falls face forwards in my mind. That's what started it all. That's all I had when going into this too, so I'd say I did an ok job of expanding, lol.  
I took another idea I've been kicking around, changed it and added it in (Eric stepping in while Selina's being beaten. That idea was originally that Selina was Voldemort's daughter, witnessing a beating and gets it to stop, then helps the victim), so that took care of that.  
Anyway, don't forget to review and let me know what you think! Ideas are always welcome as well. If you'd prefer to e-mail me ideas, you can do so. My e-mail's tweetyiscool29 (at) aol (dot) com. Or, you could IM me ideas. Yahoo ID: tweetyiscool29. AIM sn: tweetyiscool29. If you chose e-mail, please title it "fic ideas" or just "ideas", so that I know what it is and don't accidentally delete it.  
Is it ironic that just after uploading this, the song "Daughters" came on? "So fathers be good to your daughters..."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Alrighty, another chapter! YAY! I worked out some ideas with the world's best idea giver, Jackie! Once I told her what I wanted to happen, she expanded on it, and I related what she said to what I'd said, and now we have a story, for a while anyway. Hope it works out! HUGE thanks to Jackie! More thanks to Bryan for creating the "writing CD", as I've dubbed it, lol.  
Melinda, as I'm sure any HP fans will be able to figure out, is mine. As always, nothing you recognize from HP is mine, so yeah…the Melinda thing should go without saying. I simply added her into her family for the sake of simplicity on my part, it saved me from having to create a new family and give them all names.  
I think that's all I have to say for now, so onto the replies to reviews.

Jackie: Glad you like the new Eric. I think Eric likes himself now too, lol. He's no longer trying to kill me! YAY! Thanks for the idea help…however, looking at it now, I need to decide (and fast if I'm gonna update this now) who "bob" is gonna be. I have 2 options, both are equal in my mind…and there's no HP fans online to give me a hand..ARGH!

An Anti-Sheep Cheese Muffin: LOL! Eric makes you think of POTC too, huh? Hannah and I have had many Eric related arguments (friendly arguments that is). The POTC version is "Erik", and mine is "Eric" (obviously), thus we both argue how it's spelled..it's rather fun, lol.

dragonruler: Thanks for your MANY reviews. I literally squealed with delight when I saw that many reviews in my mailbox (there were others not from you, but still…). I'm glad you like my stories. If you're interested, I'm also on fictionpress (dot) com with some original stories. My sn there is tweetyiscool29. Just thought I'd mention that, lol.

**A Disgrace Redeemed: Chapter 2 **

Selina came to a few hours later, opening her eyes slowly. She found that she was still in rather a lot of pain, and groaned as she did so, getting the attention of Eric, who had been sitting at her side since he had put her down in a spare room right across the hall from his own.

"Nice to see you chose to come back and join us." Eric said, looking somewhat relieved.  
"There was a while there I thought we might've lost you."

Selina turned her head and looked at him, somewhat startled.  
"Eric?" She asked weakly.  
Eric smiled and nodded.  
"How are you feeling?"  
"I can barely move. Everything is painful." Selina replied.

"Well, I did my best to fix your external injuries, but given what was done to you, I was expecting this. Here, drink this; it'll make you feel better. It should cure everything internally, with the exception of your wrist, which will probably need to spend a while in bandages to heal properly." Eric said, helping Selina to sit up and handing her a vial full of a potion.

"Why should I bother? They're probably going to kill me anyway. I'm surprised they didn't already." Selina replied, looking down at the covers on the bed she was now sitting up in.

Eric smiled weakly, then gently grasped her chin and slowly turned her head to face him.  
"Selina, they won't kill you, I swear it on my life."  
"How can you be so sure? Did you even see what happened?  
"No, what am I thinking? There's no way you could have, you weren't there. Let me summarize it. My father sees me as a disgrace, the dark lord agreed, and left me to his followers who beat me until I was like this." Selina said.

Eric sighed a little.  
"Well, this wasn't entirely how I wanted to tell you, but that's not entirely what happened. I was there; I walked in while you were under crucio. I…" He paused.

"The dark lord is my father." He began again, taking a different approach.  
"Given I am his son, thus heir, he's forcing me to find a bride as soon as possible.  
"I've…well, I've always had some feelings for you. I know I never showed them, but that was only because I didn't want to appear disloyal to my father. I had to follow everyone else and shun you." Eric paused again.

"You never were like the others." Selina commented, not entirely sure as to where this conversation was going.  
"I tried not to be." Eric replied.

The room was silent for a few moments, and then Selina spoke again.  
"So, you were saying?"

"Oh, right. My father is forcing me to find a bride and I've always had some feelings for you. When I saw you under crucio, I knew nothing good was going to happen. Then my father let everyone go at you, and I knew I had to act.  
"I stepped in and told my father what was being done wasn't right. He told me that if I could tell him why he should spare you and never anyone else, he'd spare me the punishment." Eric paused again.

"I…I told him I wished to have you for my bride. I said that you could possibly become a great asset and that you should be given another chance." Eric continued.

Selina stared blankly at him. He had never seemed to have feelings for her, yet it now appeared that he had enough feelings for her to be willing to save her life and have her be his wife.  
His wife? What on earth was going on? Was she now expected to marry him? He'd never been like the others, true, but that didn't mean she would love him immediately and be willing to marry him.

"And your father accepted?" She asked, deciding to express her feelings later.

"He did. He said that you could be mine to heal, and marry. However, the standard pregnancy rules will apply, thus if you end up having a daughter, you'll meet the same fate as your mother." Eric said.

Selina's eyes widened. Pregnancy? Not only was she expected to marry him, but she was also expected to have a child with him?

"I plan on doing everything in my power to prevent that, of course." Eric added quickly, seeing Selina's widened eyes and taking it the wrong way.

"I…I don't know what to say." Selina said.  
"Well, perhaps you should take that potion, then start with how you feel about all this. I'm sure it's not easy. Like I said, I'd intended for you to find out in a much different way." Eric said.

Selina looked down at her hand and realized she was still holding the vial of potion, then drank it, handing the empty vial to Eric.

"Better?" Eric asked.  
"Much. Except for the wrist, like you said." Selina replied.  
"Well, I think that'll heal better if we mix the muggle and magical way, thus the bandages. That potion should help it, but won't heal it entirely." Eric replied.  
"Since when do you know so much about healing?" Selina asked.

"Well, I've had an interest in it for a while. I'm actually training to become a healer at St. Mungo's. My father doesn't much like it, but says it's all right with him so long as I work with Allan Lesesne. He's the healer that takes care of my father's followers when they're injured. Last year I was back at Hogwarts, working with Madam Pomfrey, that was actually rather more informative that working with Allan." Eric replied.

"Well, it seems we have something in common then. I'm also mildly interested in healing. I went to Madam Pomfrey last year and asked if there was any way I could get a taste of what it would be like, before making my decision. She arranged it so that I could work with the same Allan Lesesne, and I get paid at the same time. I'm more of an assistant to him really, acting as a muggle nurse, but I still find it gives a feel for what it'd be like." Selina replied.  
"Speaking of which, I do believe I was supposed to go work with him today. Do you think you could tell him I'm unable to come, but will see him tomorrow?"

Eric smiled.  
"You can tell him yourself. I called him to come and have a look at you and make sure I didn't miss anything. He should be here later."  
"Works just as well." Selina replied.

"For now, though, you should rest. It'll help. I'll come by later and we can talk some more." Eric said.  
Selina slid back down under the covers, rolling onto her side.  
"Alright."

As Eric left, she found herself falling into a rather deep sleep, not realizing how tired she was.

Another author's note: All right, well, I guess Melinda won't be coming in till the next chapter, as this seems to be a good place to end it.  
Sorry this chapter seemed to somewhat of a recap of the last one, and is probably kinda boring as a result, but I couldn't think of a better way to do it.  
Please don't forget to review, and tell me what you think!  
I'm abnormally tired, and am going to bed upon posting this. It is, after all quarter to 4 AM my time.  
And now that It's uploaded, and about to be posted, it's almost quarter after 4 my time..ACK!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Whoo! Though I'll be replying individually in a few mins, I wanted to take this time to say thanks for all the reviews! I've found a new one in my mailbox every time I've checked my mail, and have gone from 3 to 12 in the period of a chapter! YAY!  
Ok, I know I mentioned Melinda being part of a pre existing HP family in the last chapter, but Porcelain Prayer brought up a very good point in their review, thus I'm changing it. Melinda is now part of a completely fictional family (the Snyders, as you will later find out). I was going to put her in the Malfoy family, having Draco take the place of Kelvin, and Lucius would have been Loren. As Porcelain Prayer pointed out, this seems to take place before the books, given Severus' attitude/actions. I never actually thought of that.  
As a result of the above, Melinda Snyder, Kelvin Snyder, and Loren Snyder are mine, given they're not in the original HP. And our friend Allan Lesesne from the last chapter is also mine. As per usual, anything you recognize is not mine. I'll stop saying this eventually, probably when I stop introducing characters.  
And, something I just thought I'd clarify, given I got confused while writing this chapter out and had to look back at past chapters, the timing for this is as follows: Selina went to see Voldemort with her father one evening in mid summer (ch. 1). She came to a few hours later (ch. 2), which, as of this chapter to avoid going back and changing it, I see as the early hours of the next morning. Thus, when Eric said the healer was going to be by later, he means later in the day that this chapter takes place. Does that work, or did I lose everyone?  
Hope you like it, and don't forget to review and let me know what you think. Criticism is always welcome if you'd like to give it, but be pre-warned, I may not heed it, depending on the extent. Don't take offence if I don't though, I do take everything said to heart.

Porcelain Prayer: Thank you so very much for pointing that out. I hadn't really thought of a time frame for this when I started writing it, I just let my ideas run off and write it, lol. I suppose, now that I think about it, it would be, as mentioned above, taking place before the books, probably before Severus turned spy as well. Given we don't know when that was exactly, we'll just say it's before he turns spy, lol, and hope that he was of a decent age to have a daughter of Selina's age before he did so if there ever is a date given. I know it says in book 5 that he taught at Hogwarts for 14 years, so…I dunno. Heh, I won't look too far into it, lol. Worst case scenario, he's…just being abnormally loyal to Voldemort and hates his daughter -shrug-

ghst.sama: I'm glad you like it, thanks for the review!

lovelylady: Lol, here's the more that you asked for. Hey, that rhymed!

ravenfairie (for your 2 reviews): I'm glad you like it, but I'm sure there's more out there that's like it. I'd be rather surprised if this was original original. Here's next chapter for you!

italianprincess1: Would you care to elaborate? Biologically speaking, it's impossible to decide the sex of a child.

Crazy-Physco: Glad you liked it! Thanks for the review!

Ashley: It definitely was nice of Eric to save Selina's life. He's definitely a different guy than he is in my other fics, though that one may change, mwhahahah! However, to avoid being killed by Eric (don't ask), I'll probably keep him as is. He may slip into a mild evilness once or twice, but he's gonna stay as he is for the most part.

me'shell: Thanks for the review, though I must say, if there was a hidden message, it was impossible to find it, lol.

**A Disgrace Redeemed: Chapter 3**

At about nine o'clock in the morning, Voldemort called a small group of extremely loyal followers to him; Selina's father, Severus Snape, a man named Loren Snyder, and another named Lucius Malfoy.   
Loren and Lucius were to be told of the events of the previous evening, as they hadn't been present, and Severus was to be present for no reason other than to re live the moment and add things in where he felt he needed to.

Usually when Voldemort was holding his meetings, Eric would hold mini meetings with the children of his father's followers. His father said it was to prepare him for the day he'd take over.  
However, this time, only two people joined him.

Kelvin Snyder, Loren's son, was Eric's age, and was Eric's most trusted friend and, so to speak, follower. Eric trusted Kelvin with nearly anything, and that was why he'd asked that Kelvin come along.

Melinda Snyder, Loren's daughter and Selina's best friend, had been asked to come along to keep Selina company while Eric talked to Kelvin.  
Melinda was Selina's age and had been a Slytherin. However, she'd always been nicer to Selina than the others, thus how she became Selina's best friend. She hadn't stood up for Selina, yet had kept as quiet as she could when the teasing began, staying away from Selina in crowds and such.  
She wanted to appear loyal to her father and Voldemort, yet felt sorry for Selina.

When Melinda and Kelvin arrived, Eric went and gently shook Selina awake.  
"Selina, you have a visitor." He said.

Selina sat up groggily and looked towards the doorway, where Melinda had just entered.  
"Melinda." She said tiredly.  
"What are you doing here?"

"I'll leave the two of you alone." Eric said, leaving the room again and heading off down the hallway with Kelvin.

"Well, the dark lord called my father to a meeting of some sort. Apparently something about Eric finally finding himself a bride, though one that doesn't please him entirely. Eric only wanted to see Kelvin, but asked that I come to keep you company." Melinda paused for a moment, noticing Selina's tiredness.  
"I know you usually don't take part in Eric's meetings because you don't want to have people making a scene, but don't you usually just hide out somewhere and read if you end up coming? Usually if you're tired, you just stay home."

"Well, I've been here since last night. I came to the meeting with my father." Selina replied.  
"Really? Does that mean you know who Eric's bride is to be?" Melinda asked, sitting in a chair beside the bed.

Selina nodded.  
"Well, don't keep it to yourself. Tell me! You know how nosey I am!" Melinda exclaimed excitedly.

Selina was silent for a few moments.  
"Selina? Earth to Selina! You going to tell me?" Melinda continued.  
"It's me." Selina said quietly.  
"You?" Melinda gasped.

Selina nodded again, then told Melinda what exactly had happened the night before.

"Well, my father's not going to like that much. Though I'm happy for you." Melinda said when Selina had finished her tale.  
"What do you mean?" Selina asked.  
"Well, my father always wanted me to be the one who was with Eric. He asked me to try to get close to him and such, but I suppose he likes you more than he ever did me.  
"To be completely honest, I'm glad it was you and not I. Maybe now everyone will stop bothering you so much." Melinda replied.  
"Well, that's the thing. I'm not sure I want to be Eric's wife." Selina said.

This took Melinda by surprise, but she didn't show it. She'd vowed to be the ideal best friend, standing by Selina in every way she could.  
"Why not? This is the chance of a lifetime." She said.

"Well, I barely know him. I mean, he seems decent and everything.  
"He was like you when it came to the teasing at school. He never did anything extreme, but still did it.  
"But who's to say he's as nice as he's appearing. Perhaps he's just trying to reel me in.  
"And even if he is this nice all the time, I'm not sure I want to be the daughter in law of the dark lord. I know I'm supposed to at least pretend to be loyal to him because of my father, but I don't think I could live like that for the rest of my life, especially if Eric ends up taking over for him.  
"But, if he does end up taking over for him, that wouldn't make him nice, would it?" Selina said, her words forming a verbal waterfall and rushing out in a rather confusing manner.  
"I see the problem." Melinda replied.

While Melinda and Selina had been talking, Eric and Kelvin walked around the house and had a talk of their own.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about? Having second thoughts about whoever you finally chose?" Kelvin asked.  
"No, not really. However, I am worried about her." Eric replied.

"Well, maybe we should start at the top and work our way down here. Who'd you chose?" Kelvin asked.  
"Selina." Eric replied.  
"You mean Severus' daughter? The one everyone sees as a disgrace and shuns? I thought you had everyone else's opinion of her." Kelvin said.  
"Yeah, that's her. And no, I've never completely shunned her. I may have bothered her once or twice, but never to the extent of the rest of the Slytherins. I guess I've always had feelings for her." Eric said.

"Well, it's your life. I guess that explains why you're worried about her too. Scared your father might have second thoughts and kill her?" Kelvin asked a few moments later.  
"That and that she'll try to escape, only to be attacked by anyone who's angry that I didn't pick them." Eric replied.  
"You really think she'd try to escape?" Kelvin asked, wide eyed.  
"If she disagrees with you that much, you might want to re consider what you're doing."  
"Well, I can see why she'd want to, though I'm not saying she will. I mean, she barely knows me, why would she suddenly be in love with me? She probably thinks I'm just like my father; heartless, hateful, and all around evil.  
"I want to show her that I'm not; that I'm practically the complete opposite, though still obedient to my father." Eric explained.  
"I see." Kelvin said.

"So, why'd you come to me?" He asked a few moments later  
"Well, I thought perhaps I could ask you to keep an eye on her. Act as a bodyguard of sorts. I know I can trust you to keep her safe if need be, and given you're her best friend's brother, I think she'd feel better having you in the position than she would if I were to pick someone that had bothered her all her life. You can start tomorrow if that's ok." Eric said.  
"I think I can do that." Kelvin laughed.  
"And here I was thinking you were going to ask me to force her to love you or something.  
Eric chuckled.  
"You know I'd never do that."

The two of them had found their way back to Selina's room at this point, and entered to find Selina and Melinda talking about what they'd done with their summers thus far.

"Hello, Selina. Feeling better now that Melinda's here?" Eric asked in greeting.  
"I am, though I'd hardly say it was Melinda's doing entirely. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't feel half this well, if I could feel at all." Selina replied.

Kelvin winked at Eric.  
"Looks like she likes you at least a little bit." He whispered, so low that only Eric could hear.

"What have the two of you been up to?" Melinda asked.  
"Oh, Eric just asked if I'd mind keeping an eye on Selina and keep her safe. If that's ok with you of course, Selina." Kelvin replied.  
"Well, if anyone needs to be keeping an eye on me, I'd rather it were you than anyone else." Selina replied.

Eric elbowed Kelvin and smiled.  
"I would feel better knowing that nobody was trying to hurt you anymore." He said.

Melinda laughed, having noticed the elbow and the whispering.  
"The way you two are acting, one would think you were plotting against the world or something."

The four of them had a laugh, and then Loren and Severus entered the room.

"It's time for us to go." Loren said, nodding to Melinda and Kelvin.  
His face looked grim, and it was somewhat apparent that he was disappointed.  
"I hear congratulations are in order." He continued, nodding to Eric and Selina.  
Eric smiled.  
"Thanks."

"Kelvin, Melinda, lets go." Loren said, heading out of the room again.  
Kelvin and Melinda followed immediately, saying a hurried goodbye to Eric and Selina.  
"I'll be back tomorrow, as you asked." Kelvin said as he passed Eric.  
Eric nodded.

"Well, it seems you're nicely settled in here." Severus said when the three had left, looking darkly at Selina.  
"I have, father." Selina replied.  
"Good, because you are to stay here for as long as Eric asks you to." Severus said.  
"Which, if the dark lord has his way, will be until you manage to make yourself loyal to us, if that ever happens. I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up dead like your mother. You're about as disloyal as she was, after all."  
Selina looked away.

"And if I have my way, your daughter will be my wife, and I will not have you speaking to her like that." Eric piped up.  
"Of course, young master Eric." Severus replied.

Eric didn't have as much control over his father's followers as his father did, but he did still have the power to make them obey him.

"Good, now leave us." Eric said.  
"Goodbye, Selina." Severus said, turning and leaving, just as the Snyders had.

Eric sat down beside Selina and gently turned her head to face him. He found a lone tear rolling down her cheek and wiped it away.

"You haven't had a great life, have you?" He asked.  
Selina shook her head.  
"That'll all change, you know. Provided, of course, that you're ok with all this. I don't want to force you into anything." Eric said.  
"I really don't know how I feel about any of this right now. I barely know you. In fact, it feels like we just met this morning. Before then, I didn't know anything about you except your name." Selina replied.  
"I know, and I understand. And you can have as much time as you'd like to figure out how you feel." Eric said.  
"I'll keep you safe and treat you as if you were my wife until you decide. Anyone who wants to get to you will have to get through me first." He promised.

"Does that mean I have to get through you in order to see my favourite assistant, whom I hear is stuck in bed after being injured?" A voice said from the door.  
"Of course not, Allan, I trust you not to kill her." Eric replied, turning and smiling at the newcomer, Allan Lesesne.  
"Well, I'd never kill her, that's for sure. Not in front of you at least." Allan replied, causing the whole room to laugh.

"And how is my favourite assistant?" Allan asked, approaching Selina.  
"I'm fine, just sorry I'm not able to give you a hand today, Mr. Lesesne." Selina replied.  
"My dear Selina, please call me Allan." Allan replied.

Selina laughed.  
"Oh, alright, fine. I'll let you win this time. But only because you've finally come around and are calling me Selina." Selina replied.

Allan had refused to call Selina by her given name, and had insisted upon calling her 'Miss. Snape' up till now, thus Selina had taken it upon herself to call him 'Mr. Lesesne'.

"Well, lets have a look at you then." Allan said, beginning to check Selina over.

"Looks like Eric did a perfect job. I couldn't have done better myself. It's definitely not long before you're a fully qualified healer of your own, Eric." Allan said when he had finished checking Selina.  
"Good to know." Eric replied.

"So, my dear Selina, I believe Eric already told you bed rest was the best for today, but you should be able to get up and back to your normal activities tomorrow. I won't expect to see you anytime this week though; please do keep yourself here or at home, don't bother coming in to help out. Take some time off to rest." Allan said.  
"If you insist." Selina replied, looking rather disappointed about it.

"Ahh, the standard Selina, never stays home unless she's told to." Allan said.  
"But I should be going, I have a few other things to do before I can head home for the day, so I'll see the two of you another time."  
"Of course, and thanks." Eric said.  
"See you next week, I'll definitely be there the very second I can." Selina replied with a laugh.  
"But not a moment before!" Allan replied, while heading out the door.

Another Author's note: Alright, I think this is a good place to leave off for the night. Isn't Healer Allan Lesesne just a crazy guy? Lol, ok, maybe not, but heh, I thought I'd try to add a bit of humour in after the mildly tender moment (at least, I hope it was tender..), hope it worked! (Looks like I'm hoping for a lot of things here).  
Don't forget to review and let me know what you think! Though, I know I already said that at the top, and I'm sure this is long enough as is, so I'll stop now..at just over 4 pages, lol.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: I randomly decided to update this fic tonight, wanting to reply to some of the reviews. However, upon opening the word document and going to write, I no longer remember what was going to happen, lol. Well, guess I'll just have to stare at it for a while and hope it comes to me. I have a general idea of where I'm going, just nothing entirely specific.  
Don't forget to read and review!

Ashley: Well, if he changes, it'll be minor (I think/hope. Characters have a way of going off on their own and simply making you write them as they'd like you to) and only for a short time. Selina is bound to be treated differently, but not a whole ton, given she's not entirely happy about her position. I'm glad you like it, and here's an update for ya, lol.

italianprincess1: I thought you might have been referring to the X and Y thing, and you definitely have a point. However, it is impossible for the male to pick and chose what the sex of the child can be. They don't willingly give either, it just happens. Nor are they able to tell exactly when the female is going to get pregnant. If both of those could happen, we'd live in a crazy world full of men going "Hmm, I know you're going to get pregnant this time, and I want it to be a male/female, thus I'm going to make sure that my Y/X makes it's way in there". Sorry to be like this, I've just taken bio for 4 years (well, science was the first 2 years, but bio was a component, straight bio was the last 2 years), learning about reproduction ¾ times in high school, the way it goes is somewhat drilled into my head.

An Anti-Sheep Cheese Muffin (in response to your 2 reviews): Ahh, you never cease to amuse me with your reviews. And Eric rather enjoyed this one as well. I passed it along to him. He's actually quite happy that I'm making him nicer this time around, lol. And yeah, that's how it's going to work in this fic, just for the sake of doing it. After all, I'm making everyone rather evil in here; why not go to that extent?

re sm: As I said in my reply to italianprincess1, the male is responsible for the X and Y, I don't deny it, but it's impossible for them to pick and chose what they have. They can't go around going "Oh, you're going to get pregnant this time, I know it! And we're going to have a male because I gave my Y". #1 the male doesn't get to pick weather the X or the Y goes, and #2 it's impossible to tell when the female will get pregnant for sure. It's not the female's fault either, I understand that, but that's going to be how it works in this story. It's actually quite funny that you should bring King Henry VI into this, as a friend of mine was doing a project on him a while back and sent me bits of it, and as I was reading, I found he bore a striking resemblance to Eric's father (I use Eric in a lot of my fics, so his father's not always Voldemort, though it is common.), thus it's entirely appropriate that it works out that way.

**A Disgrace Redeemed: Chapter 4**

Upon arrival home, Loren told Melinda and Kelvin that he wished to speak to them immediately, and they all headed into his office.

"Melinda, you've disappointed me." Loren said when the three of them were seated.  
"How so, father?" Melinda asked innocently.  
"Don't toy with me, girl! You know very well of what I speak.  
"I've always allowed you to continue this friendship of yours with that disgraceful Selina girl, and merely asked that you get close to Eric.   
"And yet it seems you couldn't do that; Eric has chosen your dear friend Selina, for reasons I have yet to understand." Loren said.

Melinda hung her head.  
"I'm very sorry, father."  
"You had better be." Loren replied his face entirely serious.

Loren turned to Kelvin.  
"And, if I heard correctly, you and Eric are still getting along just fine; that's wonderful. However, if I heard correctly, you are to be Selina's body guard of sorts?"  
"That's true, father." Kelvin replied.  
"I trust you are still loyal to the dark lord and I though, correct?" Loren asked.  
"Yes, father, and Eric as well." Kelvin said.  
"Forget about Eric for a moment, he seems to have grown rather soft. I have a plan to end this nonsense, and I need you to carry it out." Loren said.

Melinda gasped.  
"You plan on ending what Eric and Selina have?"  
"Let me remind you that you will speak only when spoken to in this house, but yes, that is what I plan to do." Loren replied.  
"Does the dark lord know about this?" Melinda pressed.  
"No he does not, and I won't have you going around and messing this up. This plan will hopefully get Eric away from Selina and attached to you, and you will not tell a soul about it, is that understood?" Loren said sternly.  
"You…you have my word, father." Melinda struggled.

"So, what's the plan?" Kelvin asked, rather curious at this point.  
"I want you to act like you love Selina." Loren said.  
"What?" Kelvin couldn't help himself.  
"Only when the two of you are alone though.  
"Eventually she will get feelings for you and Eric will find out somehow. That will make the dark lord angry, and Selina will be punished, most likely by way of death.  
"This leaves Eric open, and I will conveniently suggest Melinda." Loren explained.

"Father, I…I don't know if I can do that." Kelvin said.  
"If you are loyal to the dark lord and myself you will find a way to do it. It will make me happy because Melinda will be with Eric, which will make us quite loyal in the eyes of the dark lord. And the dark lord will be happy as he's not happy about Eric's choice as it is." Loren said sternly.  
"Very well father, I'll find a way." Kelvin said, his eyes cast downwards.

Loren allowed Melinda and Kelvin to leave at that point, and they did so, but Melinda pulled Kelvin aside when they were far enough away from Loren's office that he wouldn't hear.

"How can you do such a thing?" She asked.  
"Look, unlike you, I want to be one hundred percent loyal, just like father; if this is what it's going to take, I'll do it." Kelvin replied.  
"One hundred percent loyal to whom? Obviously you're going to betray Eric while doing this." Melinda said.  
"If that's what it takes, so be it." Kelvin said heartlessly.  
"And to think I thought you were better than that. But be warned, Kelvin, betray Eric now and when he takes over he'll do the exact same to you." Melinda warned.  
"I'll have worked my way back up in his books by then." Kelvin replied, and then walked off without another word.

Melinda headed off to her room and simply sat on her bed, staring at the wall.  
What on earth was she to do? She had told her father she'd keep this plan to herself, but the plan would end up in the death of her best friend.  
Selina had a right to know. Eric did too.  
But she couldn't say anything. It pained her to think that, if this plan worked out, she'd be Eric's wife and Selina would have died for no reason.

At Eric's house, Eric and Voldemort were having their own conversation about Selina.

"Eric, how do you know she's going to prove to be loyal?" Voldemort asked.  
"How do you know she won't? Just because her father says she's a disgrace doesn't mean she is one. I'm sure Severus only sees Selina as a disgrace because she was the reason behind his wife's death." Eric retorted.  
"Eric! You will not speak of my followers in such a way." Voldemort said sternly.  
"I'm sorry father, I just don't see why everyone can't leave me be happy with my choice. What will it take for you to accept her? I swear I'll have whatever it is you wish done, so long as it's in my power." Eric said.  
"I just wish her to be loyal. And if Severus says she's a disgrace, she probably is one. She's already proven to be weak in both mind and physical strength." Voldemort said.  
"And what will it take to show she can be loyal? Do you wish her marked? If so I'm sure I can convince her to allow it." Eric asked.  
"No, she will not be marked. Not at this point in time anyway. If you manage to keep her until you wed, then I may say differently." Voldemort replied.

Eric gaped.  
"You don't expect us to wed? Even after you said I could have her, heal her, and marry her?"  
"Well, if she continues to be as weak as she was when I dealt with her, I'd hope you'd have a change of heart." Voldemort said.  
"I don't believe this!" Eric exclaimed.  
"Eric, I just want you to be happy, but also to be able to have someone that will be loyal to you for the rest of her life.  
"You can't just pick up any girl you see that you think you have feelings for and say you wish to wed her." Voldemort explained.  
"I didn't just pick up some girl! I picked her because I've had feelings for her for a few years now and believe I can change her so that she's to your liking, if only mildly. And you've already given me your permission to have her, thus I refuse to let you go back on your word now. If you try to stop me from marrying her, I'll disown myself and leave you without an heir!" Eric threatened, and then stormed out of the room, not caring if the conversation was over or not.

Eric went back to Selina's room and sat down beside her bed, where she was once again sleeping.  
He watched her as she slept and admired how peaceful she looked.  
"Oh if only we were both from different families." He said softly, reaching over and gently stroking her cheek.  
"Things would be so much easier."  
Selina stirred a little, but did not wake.  
Eric smiled a little as he saw a smile form on Selina's face in her sleep.  
"Nice to know you can be happy somewhere, if not in reality. I only hope I can make you that happy here in reality as well."

Another author's note: Sorry about the short chapter, but I think I'm gonna have to end it here. I'm getting mildly tired, and my brain's just not working as to how to move on for now.  
Hope you still enjoyed it, and don't forget to review! (This is starting to be one of my better fics review wise. It's got 17 reviews and this is only chapter 4, and I have another one that has 18 reviews with 7 chapters!)


	5. Chapter 5

Author's notes: Well, due to recent reviews, I have quite a bit to say here and as a result, my author's notes may very well be quite a bit longer than the chapter itself. However, I do this only because some of these issues seem to be big ones and I don't' feel like repeating myself over and over in the replies to reviews.  
This works out to my advantage, however, as I'm now signed up for yet another writing challenge, and the more words I get out, the closer to my goal I get.  
All I can say is bear with me and PLEASE read everything I have to say. I will get to the new chapter eventually.  
Anyhow, enough blabbing and on to the issues at hand:

1) Genetics: I do not deny the fact that the X and Y chromosomes are the deciding factor in the sex of a child, that was quite well covered in both normal Science and Biology (and, if you really need to know, I took 2 years of Biology in high school, having graduated last June (2004)). However, I do find problems in people's statements that the male decides the sex. Yes, it is true that males have both the X and the Y, but they DO NOT get to choose. They cannot simply go "Alright, you're getting pregnant this time and I'm going to give my Y and be sure that it's a boy"; they cannot chose which chromosome goes where, nor can they know when the female will get pregnant. They can try, but they cannot know for sure when it'll happen.  
However, this is not to say that I don't agree with what everyone is saying about it being unfair that the female takes the blame. In reality it's nobody's fault and nobody should be blamed.  
But, for the sake of the story, the female is going to be blamed and killed should a girl be born. If you can't deal with it, I request that you stop reading, though there will be very few, if any, times where it happens in the future.

2) Taking the story out of the HP universe: It's simply not going to happen. This seems to be the only fic where people have a problem with the amount of original characters, and I've been doing the exact same thing in every fic I've written.  
Unless someone can give me a decent reason (decent as in other than lack of regular characters) to move it to an original fic, it's staying right where it is.  
Again, anyone who can't stand it is asked to stop reading.

3) Voldemort: This is an issue that's come up in a few of my fics; yes, it is true, he's nicer/calmer than he is in the books/most people imagine him.  
However, I feel I'm improving on this matter; anyone who's read my other fics involving him (most of them), or any of the evil characters for that matter, should hopefully be able to see that.  
When I've written evil character's they've gone from "I'm going to kidnap you now, so promise not to scream or run away and I'll let you come loosely" (as seen in "An Awful Experience" in Lucius Malfoy; he doesn't say that, but that's how he acts) to "I'm in no mood to kill her, just beat her to death and be done with it" (as seen in the first chapter of this fic when Voldemort lets everyone attack Selina). If that's not an improvement, I'm not incredibly sure what is.

4) Selina as Mary Sue: When I started writing HP fics, I had one reviewer tell me that Selina was Mary Sue in a different fic. I've since (in the past 2 weeks) had 3 more in regards to this fic.  
I will admit that I see different parts of myself in Selina in various fics and, at times, put myself in her place when trying to write to see exactly how she'd feel and such.  
However, I do not base her off myself entirely, ESPECIALLY not in this fic; if I were doing that I do believe I'd have to be suicidal; think about it.  
Selina is seen as a disgrace to her father and everyone who has a role in this fic. She's friends with only those who will be friends with her (a few people here and there from the non-Slytherin houses).  
Everyone does NOT pity her. In fact, only Melinda pities her, and even then her relationship with Selina is as hidden as she will allow.  
Nor does everyone love her. That's only Eric; and he does not love her out of pity, he truly loves her.

5) Timing: This has been mentioned in an author's note before but I thought I'd re state it.  
This fic takes place BEFORE the books.  
As I said the first time, Porcelain Prayer was nice enough to point out that it seemed to take place before the book events, given Snape seems to be too cruel.  
I suppose the best way to describe how I'm looking at the timing of this fic is to say that it takes place between the time of the marauder's (James, Sirius, Lupin, Lily, etc's time..you know what I mean) and Harry's time. Voldemort is still alive and evil, Snape hasn't turned spy, and yeah…  
This may make the characters a little young to have kids, but I'm hoping to be able to explain that as I go along, possibly sooner than I think

6) Defiantly/definitely mix-ups: Terribly sorry on that one. Definitely has always been one of my problematic words, and I always manage to spell it "definatly", which brings up spell check and I just pick the one that looks right, which always happens to be "defiantly". Though recently I've been looking at it and wondering what on earth I was thinking. I truly am a blonde.  
I will work on fixing that one up ASAP.

I do believe that's all the matters I wanted to cover, so I'll move on to replying to reviews. This is a chapter coming after all of this; I swear it on my life.

Ashley: I'm goad you like it and hope you continue to do so.

ghst.sama: I'm glad you like the chapter, and your question should be answered in #3 above. I'm trying to get him a little more in character, but bear with me for the journey for as long as you can stand it.

Laurie: Thanks for pointing that one out. As mentioned in #6 above, I was just starting to notice that in my writing, but you really made me see what I was doing.

Jadian: #s 2-5 pretty much cover your review. Voldemort might be evil, but that doesn't mean he's above talking to Eric about Selina. If Eric is to be his heir, don't you think he should be involved in the picking a suitable wife for him to produce an heir for Eric? He doesn't much like Selina, as you may have noticed, but things will come up later with that.

Lizoko: Thanks for pointing that one out. I couldn't remember off the top of my head if it was a c or a t, so I just used the one that seemed to look better to me. I'll fix that one up ASAP as well (I'll do it when I fix up the definitely problem). I must say I had to laugh at the thought of croutons raining down of people, it's rather a funny visual.

blondebouncingferret: #s 1 and 3-5 cover most of your review. I never actually thought of what Eric's mom's story was, but you've given me an idea; thanks

BabeBunny: Here's your update. Well, it'll be here as soon as I'm done this abnormally long author's note.

The Queen of the Ice Age: Alright, I'm going to try to reply to your review in the calmest most polite manner possible. First off, I request that you have a look at #s 2,4 and 6. Secondly I would like to say that I do use spell check and I do know how to use a dictionary (and frequent the thesaurus), however I believe that perhaps you should learn to follow your own advice and use spell check and the dictionary. You can start by using the dictionary to review the term "CONSTRUCTIVE criticism" (terribly sorry but I do not believe the way you said some things would be seen as constructive). Then perhaps you should use spell check to double check the spelling of definitely before you chose to criticise me on my spelling. You said, and I quote (not fixing spelling or anything) "For future reference, its "definately". Not "defiantly"."; it's spelled definitely.

I think that's all I have to say, so now I will end my near 2 page Author's note and get on with the chapter.

**A Disgrace Redeemed: Chapter 5 **

Selina slept off most of the day, Eric at her side.  
Eric would wake her up only at meal times, wanting her to get as much rest as possible; resting was really the only thing that would help her to heal now.

However, given Selina spent the day sleeping, she awoke near the end of the evening and was unable to get back to sleep.  
Eric had gone for a late dinner, but found her awake when he returned with some food for her.

"Well, at least I won't have to feel bad about waking you up this time." He said.  
"I don't' think anyone's going to have to worry about ever waking me up again; I do believe I've slept as much as I'm going to for the rest of my life." Selina replied with a slight smile.

Eric laughed as he set the food down on a table beside Selina's bed.  
"I wouldn't doubt you're well rested, but I'm fairly sure we will have you sleeping again at some point."  
"Not anytime tonight though, I'm nearly positive." Selina said.

Eric chuckled again, then picked up a plate he'd brought and handed it to her.  
"Eat."

Selina ate and the room was silent as she did so; neither she nor Eric knew what to talk about.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" Selina asked suddenly.  
"What?" Eric was caught a little off guard.  
"About making me happy, did you mean that?" Selina repeated.

Eric's eyes widened a little.  
"You heard that?"  
"I was only half asleep when you said it." Selina explained, blushing a little.

"Oh. Well, yes I did mean it. I guess I'm kinda happy you heard it.  
"I've seen the kind of life you've lived before this, and I don't want to make it any worse. I may not be able to stop everyone else from being mean, but I want to be as nice as I possibly can; give you a taste of the life you should have." Eric replied.

Selina's eyes fell a little and she went back to eating.  
"Something wrong?" Eric asked.

"I guess I'd just hoped that maybe you really meant it from the bottom of your heart as opposed to just wanting to show me what I'm missing.  
"I don't need to be shown that; I see it every time I look at most everyone else. They all have parents that love them, or at least like them, they have friends, they live happy lives.  
"I have a father that hates me, no friends, and would rather be killed than live to see another day most times. And yet I continue to push myself onwards, though I'm not entirely sure why. I suppose I'm just determined to prove to people that I'm better than they all think." Selina said.

Eric was somewhat taken aback.  
"That's not what I meant at all." He said.  
"I did mean what I said, and from the bottom of my heart and then some.  
"I don't want to show you what you're missing, that would be being just as mean as everyone else; I want to _give_ you everything you're missing." He finished.

Selina didn't look entirely convinced.  
"It's hard to explain. Just trust me when I say that I don't mean to be like everyone else, I mean to be the opposite; I mean to love you." Eric said.

Selina remained silent, not daring to even look at him; she didn't know what to say, or even what to think.

Eric, a guy she barely knew, was telling her that he loved her and wanted to care for her, he'd been saying it since she came to. It was a nice concept, yes, but should she trust him?  
He was the son of the dark lord, a man who hated her just as much as her father did, and would prefer to see her dead.  
If that was the case, shouldn't Eric want her dead as well?  
Could all this be some kind of trick?  
But, at the same time, Eric seemed so nice, so unlike his father.  
How could someone so nice be trying to trick her?

'People can be good actors.' She reminded herself as she finished eating and was forced once again to look at Eric.  
As she did so, her gaze was drawn to his eyes and found herself getting lost within them.

Eric's eyes were a rather different shade of blue, nearly royal blue around the edges, but grew lighter as they went inwards, only to go black at he pupil.  
'How have I never managed to notice these beautiful eyes before?' Selina wondered to herself.  
But it was not only the colour that caught her attention; quite apparent within the lovely colour was quite a bit of emotion: sadness caused by the knowledge that Selina didn't entirely trust him.  
The sadness wasn't what kept her captivated either; it was the other emotion, the stronger one; love. When Selina looked into Eric's eyes, she knew he wasn't playing a trick on her, they were filled with love.

"Selina? Are you alright?" Eric asked.  
Selina's stare was making him a little nervous despite the fact that she seemed rather captivated.

Selina blinked a few times and gave her head a little shake.  
"Sorry." She said.  
Eric smiled at her.  
"See something you like?"

Selina couldn't help but blush a little.  
"You have very original eyes; they're quite beautiful really, if you don't mind my saying so."  
Eric's gaze fell a little, yet he continued to smile.  
"My father tells me they're nearly identical to my mother's."

"This may seem a little personal, an you don't have to answer if you'd rather not, but what happened to her?" Selina asked, unsure if she should ask or not, but deciding to do so anyway.

Eric went silent for a few moments.  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Selina said.  
"No, it's all right. I just don't really know how to answer that." Eric said.  
"What do you mean?" Selina asked.

"Well, I don't know what happened to my mother after I was born." Eric explained.  
"My father never really wanted a wife, only a son and heir.  
"He had been seeing my mother for a while, acting as if he really loved her and wanted to be with her.  
"However, when she discovered that he only wanted her for a child, she left him.  
"My father tracked her down and had his way with her and a short while later she found herself pregnant with me.  
"She was quite young at the time, and the fact that she was pregnant displeased her father. He thought she'd done it willingly and had no idea that nothing could be further than the truth.  
"However he let her stay in the house, not wanting to throw her out and leave her to fend for herself.  
"The day I was born the awful truth of what had happened was revealed when my father stepped in and demanded that my mother hand me over to him.  
"My mother did so out of fear and I haven't heard from or of her since.  
"I only know my father did not kill her, he was much too pleased about having an heir. Though it does seem rather shocking that having an heir would stop him from killing her, so I've never ruled that option out of my mind despite the fact that he denies it." Eric finished.

"That's awful." Selina said.  
"That may be, but I consider myself to be much luckier than some people such as yourself. Not only did you lose your mother, but you're living in your father's shadow, and, in your case, being blamed for your mother's death." Eric said.

"Is that why my father despises me so much?" Selina asked.  
"Well, your guess is as good as mine, but that would be my assumption. The fact that you were born a girl caused your mother to be murdered, rather inhumane if you ask me but that's another topic. Anyway, now every time your father looks at you he remembers your mother and gets upset, then takes it out on you." Eric explained.  
"I suppose that makes more sense than my father just hating me for no specific reason as I originally thought." Selina replied.

Eric smiled sympathetically.  
Selina smiled back then did something Eric didn't expect; she moved towards him and hugged him gently and quickly.  
"Thank you." She said softly.  
"For what?" Eric asked, his voice showing his shock.  
"Everything; saving me, making me see that there is most likely a reason behind my father's hatred, just everything." Selina replied.

"You're quite welcome." Eric replied.  
"Anything to make you happy."

After a few more moments of silence, Eric looked at a clock that was hanging nearby to find that it was nearing eleven o'clock.  
"My goodness it's late. You weren't kidding when you said you had slept as much as possible, were you?"  
Selina laughed.  
"Not at all. I honestly didn't, and still don't, think I can sleep anymore in this lifetime, though I know I will soon enough."  
"Well I'd love to stay here with you, but I really should get some sleep. Will you be alright?" Eric asked.  
"I should be just fine." Selina replied.  
"Can I get you anything before I go? A book? Something to drink? Anything?" Eric asked.  
Selina laughed.  
"A book would be nice, if its not too much trouble. Maybe it'll tire me out."  
"Of course it's not too much trouble, the library's not too far away. I'll be right back." Eric said.  
He got up, took the dishes from Selina's dinner with him, and left the room.

A short while later he returned, a book in hand.  
"I brought your favourite. Or, at least I think it's your favourite. You always seem to be reading it when you're here and trying to avoid everyone else." Eric said, handing her the book.

Selina looked at the title and smiled; it was a collection of short stories and was one of her favourites.  
"You'd be correct, this is one of my favourites."  
Eric smiled.  
"Can I get you anything else?"  
"No, this is fine. Thank you." Selina replied.  
"Very well then, I'll head off to bed then. If you decide you need anything my room's right across the hall, don't hesitate to come get me at any time." Eric said.  
"Alright, and thanks again." Selina said.  
"Goodnight, Selina." Eric said, heading out the door.  
"Goodnight." Selina replied.

When Eric had gone, Selina moved so she was in more of a sitting position, got comfortable, and began to read. She knew nearly all the stories off by heart as she'd read it so many times, yet she never grew tired of them.  
She knew not what to expect of her life to come, but knew that no matter what was to come, she'd have to just continue on, as she had been for her entire life already.

Another Author's note: Well, the author's note at the top wasn't too much longer than the chapter itself. The author's note was a total of 1,492 words and nearly 2 pages and the chapter itself (not including the title or this author's note) was 1,840 and just over 3 pages. Heh, ok, so it's actually longer than the Author's note, that's good. Not by much though, only 348 words.  
Anyhow, enough blabbing about length and calculations.  
Please review. Say anything you like, that you like it, that you hate it, anything (well, anything so long as it's not incredibly in contradiction of anything I said in the first author's note and please make it CONSTRUCTIVE criticism if you must criticise).  
Oh, and Chapter 1 should be fixed typo wise (the crucio/crutio thing was the only one in there I believe, but I know I found/replaced any definitelys). The rest will hopefully be done in the next few days.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: Well, I never thought I'd see the day when I'd actually be somewhat stuck on where to take this one, but with this chapter, I am. However, it's next in line in my list of updates, so I guess I'll just go with it and see where it goes and hope for the best.  
-BabeBunny: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it.  
-Pookster1234: I have to say, way back when I first got the alert for your review and read it, it really made me smile and just brightened my day. After all the harsher reviews, your kind words meant a lot. Thanks. About the adding personalities, I'm sorry, but I'm not quite sure if I'll be able to get a whole lot more than what I have already. I'm still working on getting description and stuff in, so, yeah, I'm not entirely sure if I'll be able to get what you're looking for. Sorry. Suggestions are always welcome though, so if you think of anything I can add to perk it up a bit, please do.  
-Poisoned Honey: Your review also put a smile on my face; I'd never actually thought of it like that. I've really been trying to make the characters as in character as possible, but I know I'm not really catching them all the time. Oh well, you brought up a valid point and I don't feel so bad anymore. However, I do find it odd that you can't agree with the "everyone messes up on a word once in a while" theory, as it is quite sure. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm sure even you make the occasional typos. That's what editors and such are for. As for a beta, I don't have one until someone offers to be one. Out of curiosity, why do you think I should change Selina's name? I've had other people say I should, but none of them have really had valid reasons as far as I've seen. -Yali: Detal? I'm glad you see some, because, personally, I think I'm lacking in that department. I can't tell you what's going to happen or it wont' be a surprise, but I'm glad you think Selina and Eric make a good couple.  
-Shinebright-Starlight: I'm glad you like it! Here's the next chapter.

**A Disgrace Redeemed: Chapter 6** (A/N: I totally don't remember there being 5 chapters to this, so I'd origianlly titled this as chapter 5...man, this chapter is jsut causing me one problem after another, I hope it's worth it)

The next morning, Selina was surprised to find Kelvin instead of Eric bringing some breakfast for her.  
"Eric's busy today, so I get to take care of you as well as protect you. I hope you don't mind." Kelvin said, noticing the rather confused look on Selina's face, extending the plate he'd been carrying to her.  
"Oh, that's fine." Selina replied, taking the plate. "Thanks"  
"No problem. If you need me, I'll be just outside." Kelvin said, leaving the room and taking a seat just outside the door.

The rest of the day passed in much the same way with Kelvin sitting outside Selina's door and guarding her unless he was getting meals for her. Day turned to days, and Selina finally got out of her room and went for walks, escorted by Kelvin, and her week of not being able to go help Allan Lesesne was soon up.

Selina made her way to St. Mungo's as soon as she possibly could, just as she said she would. She escorted by Kelvin, though she hadn't really wanted him to come along. Eric had insisted, so they compromised; Kelvin would escort Selina to St. Mungo's, but would leave her be once they arrived, waiting outside until Selina was finished for the day, at which point he would escort her back to Eric's house.

Once they'd arrived at St. Mungo's, Selina left Kelvin at the door, and went off in search of Allan, finding him to be in his office.  
"Ahh, Selina, I had a feeling I'd see you today. Please, have a seat, I'd like to talk to you in private before we go off to work today." Allan said, motioning to a seat across from him.  
"Is something wrong?" Selina asked, taking a seat.  
"No. Well, not really. Maybe. Ok, yes." Allan stuttered. "I was just wondering if you'd care to tell me how you came about those awful injuries; it's been troubling me. I mean, I know you've often spoken of having problems with your father, but surely he didn't go this far"  
"No, he didn't. Well, he did, in a way, but…" Selina replied in the same manner as Allan had begun.  
"Why don't you start at the beginning and tell the tale?" Allan suggested.

Selina nodded and began her tale; she told him of her father's forcing her to see Voldemort, of Voldemort's displeasure in her, and of how he nearly killed her. She finished it all off with how Eric had saved or, or claimed to.

"Well, my dear, it sounds as if you've been through quite the ordeal." Allan said when Selina had finished, earning a nod from Selina. "I promise this conversation will all be kept confidential; just between us. I just had to make sure you were going to be alright from here on in." Selina smiled. "Thank you"  
"But, I must say, Eric does sound as though he cares for you; I'd give him a chance, especially after what he did for you." Allan said with a small smile.  
Selina eyed him suspiciously. "Has he been speaking to you? Trying to convince you to convince me to be with him"  
"My dear Selina, you have quite the imagination. I haven't seen Eric since the day I visited you at his house. It seems he's been quite busy lately, doing what, I don't know." Allan replied.  
Selina couldn't help but blush a little. "I'm sorry, it just seemed as though you were promoting my being with him"  
"It's quite alright, I understand." Allan said with a smile. "Though I do believe you could be good for him." He added a few moments of silence later.  
Selina laughed a little. "Well, now that you're back to your usual self, what say we make some rounds?" Allan suggested "Sounds good to me." Selina replied with a smile as they both got up and headed out of the office.

An hour and a half later, Selina emerged from St. Mungo's and met up with Kelvin again.  
"You're finished early." Kelvin commented.  
"I wasn't expecting you out for another half hour to an hour"  
"Mr. Lesesne wasn't too busy today, so he said I could go early." Selina replied.  
"That was nice of him." Kelvin said.  
Selina nodded.  
"He's always like that"  
"Well, we're not due back at Eric's for a while still, feel like killing some time before going back?" Kelvin asked.  
Selina shrugged.  
"Sure, why not"  
"There's a muggle carnival in town, not too far from here; sound interesting?" Kelvin asked, trying to think of something they could do together.  
"Sure, I'm always up for new things." Selina replied.  
"You've never been to a carnival before?" Kelvin looked rather shocked.  
Selina shook her head.  
"Nope"  
"Well then, we definitely have to go. Maybe we can even find a magic show or something; they're always amusing. It's rather funny what muggles think of as magic when you compare it to our kind." Kelvin said.  
"Sounds like fun." Selina replied.

"Well then, lets go." Kelvin gently took Selina's hand and started to lead the way, but stopped when Selina didn't move.  
"Did you forget something?" He turned around to look at her.  
Selina was looking at their joined hands, almost seeming to be in a world of her own.  
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is this alright?" Kelvin asked, motioning to their hands.  
Selina said nothing.  
"Selina?" Kelvin asked, looking slightly concerned.  
"Are you feeling alright"  
Selina looked up at him, blinking a bit, and shaking her head a little.  
"Yes, I'm fine, sorry"  
"And is this alright?" Kelvin asked, motioning to their hands again.  
"Yeah, it's fine. Just took me by surprise, that's all." Selina replied.  
"Sorry." Kelvin said.

Kelvin led the way to the carnival, Selina following this time, and they walked around the grounds for a while upon arrival, simply having a look at what was there.  
They found their magic show, and Selina laughed quite a bit, completely agreeing with Kelvin about how amusing it was.

Just before they were about to leave, they took a ride on the ferris wheel.  
"Thank you for all of this." Selina said as they went around.  
"I really needed it"  
"I thought you might enjoy a bit of time away from Eric and his father. I can only imagine what you're going though right now." Kelvin said, taking Selina's hand again and giving it a gentle squeeze.  
Selina's eyes fell a little.  
"Yes, well…. It is rather tough at times, when I really sit and think about it. I mean, though nobody's said it straight out yet, I'm really making a decision between Eric and death. It's not an easy task"  
"When you say it like that you make it seem quite easy. Wouldn't it be better to pick Eric?" Kelvin asked.  
"It's easy for you to say that because you know him well, but I don't. I don't know what he's like at all. Is he the nice guy he's making himself out to be, or is he just like his father and merely putting on a show to win me over? One may be able to see my dilemma." Selina said.  
"Well, this may not mean much to you because, as you said, I do know him well, we've been best friends for a most of our lives, in fact, but I do believe how you see him is how he is; a nice guy. I think he's actually pretty taken with you. Not that I blame him, you seem like a nice girl." Kelvin said.  
Selina blushed a little.  
"You're only saying that"  
"Nonsense! Eric could have my head for lying about such a thing. Actually, he could have my head for being honest about it too, so how bout we keep this just between us?" Kelvin said.  
"I don't tell him anything that happens between us unless he asks normally, so there's no problems there." Selina said.  
"But what if he asks?" Kelvin asked.  
"He only asks if he senses something, so I'll just do my best to prevent showing signs that make him ask." Selina replied.  
"And if you're unsuccessful?" Kelvin pressed.  
"Then I guess you'd better protect your head." Selina laughed a bit, Kelvin laughing with her.

The two of them walked back to Eric's house after their ferris wheel ride. They walked hand in hand until they grew close to the house, not wanting to be seen by anyone inside. It was a good decision too, as Eric was pacing back and forth in the yard when they arrived.

"Selina! Thank goodness you're back!" He said desperately when he saw Selina and Kelvin approaching.  
"What's wrong, Eric?" Selina asked, already knowing he'd be lying if he said nothing.  
"My father randomly decided it'd be a good idea for all of us to have dinner together tonight. I have a terrible feeling he's going to be picking out every single flaw he finds in you and using them against us. Knowing my father, he'd going to find anything and everything wrong and insist that you don't like me at all, and…." Eric paused to calm himself down a little.  
"Selina, I know you probably haven't made up your mind about me yet, but can you at least pretend to like me tonight? You don't have to be completely lovey dovey, but…. Get creative. I'd hate to loose you before you had a chance to decide about me"  
"I'll do my best." Selina replied.  
"Oh, Selina, thank you. You don't know what this means to me." Eric pulled Selina into a hug.  
"I have some idea." Selina replied with a smile.

"Well, if she's in your care I think I'll take off and go home, Eric." Kelvin said.  
"Yes, of course. Thanks again, Kelvin, you're a huge help." Eric said.  
"Oh, no problem. I'll see you tomorrow, Selina. Bye, Eric." Kelvin said, smiling a little at Selina.  
"Bye." Eric and Selina replied at the same time.  
Kelvin nodded, then turned and left, heading home.

"The two of you seem to be getting along quite well." Eric said, ushering Selina into the house.  
"Do we?" Selina asked.  
"Well, you're certainly quite a bit more friendly towards each other than that first day." Eric commented.  
"I guess I've just come to face the facts that he's going to be around me all the time." Selina said.  
"You know I'm doing this for your own good." Eric said.  
"Of course. I'm not complaining." Selina said.  
"Good." Said Eric as they entered Selina's room.

"I thought you might want to change before dinner, so I brought you these." He pointed to some teal robes lying on her bed.  
"Thanks." Selina smiled.  
"My favourite colour too." Eric smiled.  
"I know, that's why I picked them. Anyway, I'll leave you to get changed. I'll come and get you when it's time for dinner"  
"Alright." Selina replied.

Eric went over to her and gently kissed her on the cheek; his first sign of affection since the day he'd saved her.  
"Thank you for putting up with all this, you really have no idea how much it means to me." Selina smiled.  
Well, I thought I owed it to you to give you a chance, and if putting up with all of this is what it takes to give you that chance, so be it"  
Eric smiled back at her, his eyes full of happiness and love.

"Now get out of here and let me change!" Selina broke the moment a few moments later, giving Eric a playful shove towards the door.  
Eric laughed.  
"Alright, alright, fine." And he left, closing the door behind him.

Another author's note: Phew! Finally finished! I swear, there were times when I thought this chapter would kill me! Lol, oh well, it's done now!  
Don't forget to review if you're reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Well, after FOREVER, here's an update to this story. Sorry about the delay, I've been neglecting all my fanfics lately in favour of my original pieces (which can be found at http :// www. fictionpress. com / tweetyiscool29 (remove the spaces) if anyone's interested).

Please let me know what you think of this. Because it's been so long, I kinda had to wing it a bit at times, so I'm hoping it turned out ok.

**A Disgrace Redeemed: Chapter 7**

Selina didn't take long to change into the robes Eric had brought her, and then they walked together to the dining room where Eric's father was already waiting. Selina was surprised to find that her father was also present.

Eric helped Selina to her seat, and then sat down on the chair beside her. He sensed how nervous she was, and held her hand under the table. She looked at him, surprised, and he simply smiled back, trying to wordlessly calm her nerves. He squeezed her hand gently and reassuringly, and she smiled back.

"They certainly seem to have warmed up to each other. Or, I suppose she's warmed up to him as my son has already expressed feelings for her." Voldemort said flatly, his attention on Severus. The way he said that Eric had expressed feelings for Selina made Selina feel as though she was no more than dirt on a common muggle's shoe.

"She's faking it." Severus replied in a tone equally flat. "I can see it in her eyes."

"I'd almost say that's better." Voldemort continued the conversation. "Perhaps that son of mine has finally realized his place as a dominant male and has scared her into liking him." He turned his attention to Selina, finally acknowledging her and Eric's presence. "Do you love my son or is it only a show?" He demanded.

Eric winced visibly, and it was Selina's turn to squeeze his hand in a reassuring manner. She already knew how to handle this.

"Of course I love your son, my lord; I could never put on such a show." She said.

Voldemort narrowed his eyes at her, causing Selina to wonder if perhaps her brilliant idea hadn't worked as well as she'd originally thought.

"Is that so?" He asked rhetorically.

Selina suddenly felt someone poking around in her thoughts, and realized that either Voldemort or her father, or perhaps even both, were looking for something to use against her – some clue that she wasn't telling the truth. This didn't bother her so much, as she'd come fully prepared for it, and had emptied all thoughts that could bring about problems from her head before she'd come. She simply sat back in her chair and let whoever it was poke around until they were content, trying to block the uncomfortable sensation of having someone else in her head. She looked at Eric and smiled at him again, though he seemed to sense that there was something wrong.

"Selina, are you alright?" Eric asked.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Selina replied, glancing ever so quickly at Voldemort, hoping Eric would notice.

"No reason." Eric replied, nodding subtly, showing he'd understood. "You're just quiet."

"I was under the impression I was to speak only when spoken to." Selina replied, reciting another answer she'd prepared in advance. It seemed she'd guessed the issues that would come up fairly well.

Severus looked impressed. "Well done, young master Eric. You certainly seem to have changed her for the better."

"Nonsense." Eric protested. "I haven't done a thing."

"Oh, but you have, Eric." Severus pressed. "She was obedient before, but only out of fear. Now she seems willing. She's an entirely different person."

Selina blushed. She couldn't help herself. She didn't know if her father had meant it as a compliment or not, but she took it as one, in a way.

"She's almost worthy of being called my daughter." Severus finished.

"And what's your verdict, father?" Eric asked, turning his attention to his father.

All thoughts of prying left Selina's head, proving it to have been Voldemort invading her thoughts.

"She certainly _seems_ stronger." He said darkly. "But I don't believe it." He turned his attention to Selina. "You were hiding something from me. What was it?"

"I assure you, my lord, I don't know what you're talking about." Selina replied.

Voldemort rose from his seat and made his way towards Selina. "I think you do." He said, placing his hands on her head. "There's a wall in here, blocking me from something. What is it?"

It was true – Selina did have a permanent wall in her mind, blocking her deepest thoughts, and she'd purposely made it impenetrable. She wasn't willing to admit this, however, and kept her control.

"I know not, my lord." She replied.

Voldemort moved so his lips were mere inches from Selina's ear. "You lie." He said softly, though in a way that made Selina shiver briefly.

"Now what is it you're hiding from me?" Voldemort straightened himself, placing his hands back on Selina's head.

Just as Selina had expected, she felt someone entering her thoughts again, and the familiar twinge of said person trying to get past the wall blocking her deepest thoughts. She said nothing, simply sitting there instead. She didn't try to keep Voldemort out, though she didn't fully allow him to willingly get past the wall and invade her deepest thoughts either. As she felt him pry at the wall with his mind, she closed her eyes and felt her face setting in determination – it was an unwilling response, though one she couldn't stop herself from doing.

"Selina…" Severus spoke up, speaking in the warning tone Selina knew all too well. It caught her off guard and made her nervous, causing her eyes shot open, breaking her determination. It was then that she felt the wall crumble and cried out softly. Not only had Voldemort bypassed the wall, he'd shattered it as well. There would be no hiding her deepest thoughts from here on in. Not until she could manage to construct another wall, that was.

"Well well well, what have we here?" Voldemort taunted.

Selina winced as visions of her deepest thoughts danced before her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to make the visions go away, though that only seemed to make them clearer. She panicked, losing control of herself. She began to whimper softly, the visions tormenting her, and her breathing quickened. She began to feel as though she'd been put under the torture of Crucio again, though knew full well that she had not, for Crucio was a million times worse than this. She struggled to regain control of herself to no avail.

Voldemort, however, seemed to take no notice. Or, if he did, he could have cared less. "Eric, where did you say she was today?" He asked.

"Working with Allan Lesesne." Eric replied. "Like she usually does."

"It would seem she was not." Voldemort said in an amused tone. "It would appear she was off spending the day with that friend of yours you assigned to be her bodyguard – Kelvin, isn't it?"

"No!" Selina cried out, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. "It wasn't like that!" She hadn't fully intended to have such an outburst, but she'd lost full control of herself. She knew she'd done nothing wrong, but the way Voldemort said it just implied so much.

"Selina?" Eric sounded a little taken aback.

"I _did_ go to Allan." Selina protested.

"That's not what it says in here." Voldemort tightened his grip on Selina's head, still prying around to see what else he could dig up.

"Let me finish!" Selina demanded, taking the entire room by surprise. "I _did_ go to Allan, but he gave me the day off. Kelvin suggested we go kill some time, suggesting it would probably do me some good to spend some time away from the house. I agreed. So yes, we spent the day together, but not in the way you're implying." She finished sharply.

"Don't you take that tone with me!" Voldemort shouted.

Selina cried out again as a vision of her mother's death flashed before her eyes. Voldemort was obviously throwing a vision of his own into her head. She collapsed into somewhat of a heap – her head in her arms on the table – as Voldemort pulled out of her mind. She whimpered softly and allowed the tears to fall from her eyes. She'd heard details of her mother's death, though she'd never seen it first hand before, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Take that vision and remember it well." Voldemort said coldly, going back to his seat. "For you will surely meet the same fate some day."

Eric had jumped from his seat and had his arms wrapped around Selina in a comforting hug, trying to sooth her. "Father, what have you done?" He glared at his father.

"No more than the little weakling deserves." Voldemort practically spat. "She hides her dislike of you well, Eric, though it's still there. It's about time you faced facts and let her meet her fate."

Eric rose to his feet and stood in such a way that commanded attention, making it quite obvious that, despite common belief, he _had_ learned much from his father, and was more like him than most were willing to admit.

"You will not speak of her like that!" He said sharply, in a tone that rivaled his father's worst. "She's only weak because you see her that way. She's also a much better person than you give her credit for, not to mention a better person than you'll ever be."

Selina sat up slowly, looking at Eric and hardly believing the words that came from his mouth. Eric looked at her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"In fact." He said. "I almost consider myself unworthy of her."

Selina's lips parted in a small gasp, though it went unnoticed by everyone except Eric, who smiled softly at her.

Voldemort appeared to consider what Eric had said for a moment. "You're right." He finally said. "You are unworthy of her. You deserve so much better." He smirked in the evil way that not even Eric could duplicate.

Eric's eyes glared in such a way that they nearly glowed in anger. He lunged at his father, knocking him to the floor.

Severus jumped to his feet. "This is all _your_ fault!" He shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Selina. He rushed to Voldemort's aid, pulling Eric off him and helping him to his feet, leaving Eric on the floor.

Selina didn't know how to react to everything that had just happened. She was frozen to her seat, though knew she had to get out of the room before something worse happened. She forced her legs to move, getting to her feet and fleeing from the room. Once she got out of the room, her legs worked better than she ever could have hoped, and she found herself running down the hallway, not knowing where she was going or where she would stop, just that she had to get away.

"Get back here!" She heard her father coming after her and quickened her pace. She began to look for a place to hide, somewhere her father wouldn't think to look, or wouldn't see her duck into.

A hand shot out of what looked like a hole in the wall and grabbed her as she passed. She went to shriek, but whoever it was that had grabbed her was too quick for her, holding her close and clamping a hand over her mouth within seconds.

"Don't worry, it's me." Eric's voice whispered in her ear as the hole in the wall in front of her closed itself.

Selina breathed a sigh of relief, and Eric took his hand away from her mouth.

"Where are we?" Selina asked softly. "And how on earth did you get here before me?"

"I have my ways." Eric replied mysteriously. "And we're in one of the very few secret hiding areas that my father doesn't know about. I used to hide here when I was young."

"It certainly looks like it." Selina said, looking around the small room they were now in.

The room had been made comfortable with a few older looking blankets and pillows, as well as other items one might bring with them when hiding from their father. Selina picked up a book that was lying at her feet.

"_In Selina's Eyes_?" She asked, reading the title. "You never struck me as the sort who would read something like that."

Eric shrugged. "It was alright. I tend to read pretty much anything, though."

"It's always been one of my favourites." Selina said, flipping through the book. "I mean, I can relate to the main character well enough."

Eric chuckled. "I can imagine. Not only is her name Selina, but she lost her mother at a young age."

"She was older than me, though." Selina stated. "And at least her mother came back in the end."

"Yeah, that was a little weird." Eric paused. "Wait a second. Isn't the guy in that book Eric? And… Isn't he trying to marry Selina?"

Selina looked so surprised that she nearly dropped the book. "Ok, that makes this just a little weird."

"Just a little." Eric laughed. "I certainly hope I'm not half as mean as I remember the Eric in the story, though."

"Not even close." Selina smiled softly.

"Glad to hear it." Eric said, and then went silent as Severus and Voldemort's voices were heard on the other side of the wall. "I should go. They'll be looking for me too shortly. You're more than welcome to stay here, though. I mean, I know it's not much, but at least you'll be safe until they've cooled off."

"Sounds like a plan." Selina said. "Better than the implied alternative." She shuddered.

"I'm going to do my best to keep that from happening." Eric cupped Selina's chin gently. "It's not right that he does that."

"Eric?" Selina sounded as though she hadn't heard what Eric had said, though she had.

"Yeah?"

"Did you mean what you said?" Selina gazed into Eric's eyes, searing for the truth.

"I did." Eric replied, knowing exactly what she meant. "You're a far better person than I deserve, Selina. If I were you, I wouldn't be putting up with all this, nor would I be handling it so well."

Selina blushed. "Thank you."

"You act as though that's the first nice thing anyone's ever said to you."

"It is." Selina admitted. "Well, in that sort of context anyway."

Eric gazed at her sadly, and then winced as he heard his father calling for him. "I have to go." He sighed. "I'll come visit when I can. And I'll direct Kelvin this way tomorrow. I'm sure you could use the company, not to mention the protection, just in case."

Selina nodded, and Eric made his way towards a different entrance to the room, presumably the one he'd come through to begin with. He took one last look at her, and then left her alone.

Another Author's Note: For anyone wondering, _In Selina's Eyes_ both is and is not a real novel. It was my NaNoWriMo (www. nanowrimo. org just remove the spaces) project for 2004, which I managed to finish and get self published online in order to obtain a free copy via www. lulu. com (again, remove the spaces). It's in need of serious editing, though, so isn't available to the public to be purchased just yet.

It is, however, exactly as Eric and Selina speak of it in this chapter. Actually, if you've read my other fanfic, _An Awful Experience_ (the original, not the sequel), it's virtually that story, just made into an original fiction, with added craziness, lol.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Another chapter, written while I had nothing better to do with internet and cable out. How sad does that make me sound? "I don't write unless there's nothing better to do!" lol, well, I'm not like that. I think what I mean is that it took me till I had nothing better to do to work on this story.

Anyhoo, enough rambling. Let me know what you think!

**A Disgrace Redeemed: Chapter 8**

Selina didn't remember falling asleep, but it became very apparent to her that she had when she was gently shaken awake by Kelvin. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, or even what time it was now, though it must have been early the next morning if Kelvin was there.

"Morning." Kelvin smiled.

Selina returned the greeting, sounding a little groggy.

"Sorry. I'd have let you sleep, but I thought that might've been a little weird. Me just sitting around while you slept, I mean." Kelvin said.

"No, it's ok." Selina sat up. "I just don't remember falling asleep."

Kelvin got to his feet and looked around. "Man, it's been ages since I was last in here."

"Hopefully you were in here with Eric, and not for the reasons I am." Selina said.

Kelvin chuckled. "Of course. If I'd managed to get on anyone's bad side, I probably wouldn't be here now, would I?"

"I suppose not." Selina went silent for a few seconds. "Are they mad at him?"

Kelvin knew exactly what she was talking about. "They figure he's helped you and are a little frustrated that he won't tell them the truth, but aside from that I think he's ok."

"Well, that's a bit of a relief." Selina frowned a little. "Not much, but a bit."

"I didn't realize you cared so much." Kelvin took a seat beside Selina and looked at her.

"Well, I don't, really." Selina started. "I mean, I do, but… It's just… Well, I still don't really know how I feel about him, you know?"

"You feel bad for getting him into all this mess, but don't know if you really care for him." Kelvin helped.

"Exactly." Selina smiled a little. "You're so much better at putting things into words than I am."

Kelvin chuckled. "Oh, I wouldn't say that." He paused, going serious again. "But, I have to ask. If you're not sure how you feel about him, why put up with all this? Do you really think you'll warm up to him?"

"Oh, no, I'm just sick and twisted and get pleasure out of my own pain and suffering." Selina rolled her eyes.

"Selina, I'm serious. Anyone else in your situation wouldn't put up with that sort of treatment unless they thought it'd be worthwhile in the end." Kelvin said.

Selina sighed. "Well, I guess I do see myself warming up to him at some point, in a way. I mean, he's been very kind to me while I've been here and everything, but… Don't judge a book by its cover."

"Don't judge a son by his father either." Kelvin saw what Selina was saying, though he wasn't sure she saw it herself.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that…" Selina protested. "Well, I guess maybe I did, in a way, but not in the way you seemed to mean it. I don't fear that Eric will turn out like his father, I fear the side of him that's all ready turned out like his father. And I know he has a side like that – I've seen it too many times even in my short stay here. It scares me a little."

"But hasn't that side always been used to stand up to his father, usually in a way that protects you?" Kelvin pointed out.

"I suppose. But can you blame me for worrying that one day it won't be to protect me, and it won't be to his father; for thinking that someday he'll use that tone with me instead?" Selina paused. "I mean, take yourself for example. I wouldn't worry that you'd turn out like your father because I've never seen you act like him even in the slightest."

"I also wouldn't be making you endure all this." Kelvin replied absentmindedly.

"What?" Selina asked.

"Nothing." Kelvin said quickly, suddenly realizing what he'd said.

"No, I head what you said quite clearly…" Selina pried.

"I just…I just meant that if I were in Eric's position in all of this… I wouldn't be putting you through all this. I wouldn't be practically begging you to give me a chance. It should be your decision to make as to what happens in your life, and your decision shouldn't be influenced by anything as pathetic as that." Kelvin said, turning his head away from Selina in embarrassment.

"Oh? And what if those so called pathetic actions give me a reason to feel like perhaps I have something to live for? Without the things Eric has said and done, I'd be long dead by now." Selina protested.

"He doesn't love you as much as you think he does." Kelvin said sharply, then covered his mouth as soon as he'd said it.

At first Selina didn't know how to react to this, then she found the words. "Then why fight for me as he has?"

"Perhaps he couldn't find any Gryffindors to pretend to love." Kelvin replied with a shrug. "He just wants to oppose his father."

Selina jumped to her feet. "That's not true!" She exclaimed. "If it were, you wouldn't be helping him as you are."

"Well, perhaps I'm not as good as you think I am, then. Eric wishes to oppose his father; I don't wish to oppose Eric. I'll do almost anything he asks me to."

Selina looked horrified and began to feel slightly light headed. She sat back down to avoid toppling over and injuring herself.

"But it doesn't have to be like this, you know." Kelvin said. "It doesn't have to be so horrible for you. I could make things better and easier."

Selina looked at him, words escaping her. She honestly hoped e both was and was not saying what she thought he was saying.

"I've always had an eye on you. There's just something about you… Something different, and not in a bad way. I had a lot of fun with you yesterday, and it pretty much confirmed my feelings…" Kelvin continued.

"There's no way…" Selina's voice was barely above a whisper. "Not with Eric…"

"Eric doesn't need to know." Kelvin said hurriedly. "Come on, what do you say?"

Selina looked at Kelvin for a moment and found herself wanting to go along with him. He seemed to actually care, and not for the wrong reasons. She shook her head, turning her gaze away, trying to clear the thoughts from her mind. Something just didn't feel right.

"I can't." She said. "It's just too risky."

"Oh." Kelvin's face fell a little. "Well, can I at least have one kiss?"

Selina eyed him, trying to judge his intentions.

"Please? Just one, and I'll never speak of any of this ever again." Kelvin tried.

Selina bit her lip for a second, then sighed. "Very well." She nervously leaned a little closer to Kelvin.

Kelvin didn't waste a second, immediately capturing her lips as she leaned in, taking Selina by surprise. She began to protest, then felt her fears disappearing as Kelvin pressed against her, his arms around her to keep her from falling, the kiss deepening a little. Something in the back of Selina's mind screamed at her to stop, but the rest of her mind went blank, telling her this was right.

A moment or so later, the sound of a door opening could be heard, followed by footsteps approaching.

"Selina?" Eric's voice rang out, sounding shocked.

Selina jumped and pulled out of Kelvin's grasp, pushing him away. "Eric!" She cast her eyes downward as she saw the look of hurt Eric gave her.

"Hey, Eric." Selina didn't have to look to tell that Kelvin was grinning, and suddenly felt his arm around her shoulders in an almost protective manner.

"Selina…" Eric ignored Kelvin's greeting.

Selina looked up at him and found him to have not taken his eyes off her. "Eric… I'm so sorry."


End file.
